Section 7:
Navigational beacons and radio
rivers there, which generally flow from south to
frequencies
north, form an extensive navigable network. East-
Section 8:
General ice navigation tech-
to-west movement of Siberian cargo is accom-
niques
plished by first moving it along the rivers to rail-
heads in the south or to seaports in the north.
It was apparent that this publication might be
Russia's water-borne transport network is a rela-
useful for characterizing the navigational setting
tively small component of the entire national cargo
of the NSR, so CRREL contracted with HydroCon,
transportation system, which includes highways,
Ltd., a Russian geographic publications supply
railroads, pipelines, and air service. Figure 9 shows
company in St. Petersburg to obtain a copy of the
the volumes of freight moved by various methods
draft and translate it for our use. HydroCon com-
in 1991 and those projected through 1995. Road
pleted all necessary arrangements and, during the
and rail transport were by far the prime movers of
period MayJuly 1994, sections of the translated
all freight (95%). River and sea cargo (564 and 103
document were received at CRREL. Its table of
mt, respectively) amounted to less than 3% of all
contents is reproduced as Appendix B. It is an
Federation tonnage moved in 1991.
exhaustive, 600-page compilation of regulations,
In 1992, only 7.5% of Russia's total trade was
environmental information, sailing directions, and
transported by ship: 165 mt by sea, 542 mt by river
miscellaneous navigational instructions. Maliavko
and canal, and 35 mt in cabotage. Only 17 mt of
later indicated that he may publish and market his
Federation sea trade was international in nature.
English translation of the Guide to coincide with
River trade in 1993 was 470 mt; it is expected to
the official release of the Russian original.
drop to around 450 mt or less by 1995. Cabotage is
off three-fold, and river ports work at only 40% of
capacity (Berenyl et al. 1994).
For international cargo transport, the impor-
THE TRADE SETTING
tance of Russia's waterborne sector becomes more
Peters (1993) presents a detailed and frank
evident. Excluding transport by pipeline, more
evaluation of the water transport industry in Rus-
than 70% of all its international trade moved by
sia today, and most of the near-term news is not
water in 1988 (50% of all export tonnage and 76%
encouraging. This is a particularly dynamic pe-
of all import tonnage), as shown in Figure 10.
riod in the transformation of the FSU. Great and
Russia's international trade in the final few years
rapid change will undoubtedly occur in the next
of the Soviet Union ranged between 508609 mt
few years in Russia. Aside from the commodities
annually, with roughly four times more imports
of coal, petroleum, wood exports, and grain im-
than exports. Even though the international ton-
ports, international trade is of lesser importance
nage handled annually in all of the nation's ports
and languishing. Total cargo turnover decreased
combined was approximately equal to the annual
with the onset of political and economic turmoil
throughput of Shanghai, China, alone, cargo trans-
in the late 1980s and the subsequent breakup of
port by water is crucial for Russia's relatively small
the Soviet Union in 1991. For this section, we have
international trade. The above figures reflect the
relied heavily on Peters' report, which was the
basic Soviet philosophy of self-reliance and all-
waterborne transit portion of an economic analy-
Union trade. Before the breakup, only 5% of all
sis of and prognosis for the entire Russian trans-
cargo was international. After the breakup of the
portation system by the World Bank (Holt 1993).
Union, fundamental changes in the composition
Water transport can be subdivided into 1) inter-
and direction of trade flows were inevitable, and
national ocean transport, 2) cabotage (domestic
they are still occurring. Commerce between the
port-to-port trade), and 3) internal river transport
newly formed nations of the CIS was no longer
(not considered "sea trade"). Cabotage is a tiny
considered domestic; this was reflected in imme-
contributor to Russia's freight transport total,
diately higher international trade statistics. How-
amounting to a minuscule 0.15%, but it is a very
ever, the waterborne sector's share of international
important mode of supply for the northern fron-
freight decreased by approximately 40%, from 281
tier. River transport accounted for only 17 mt or
mt in 1988 to 167 mt in 1992, due to the heavy
10% of international trade in 1992. All three of
reliance on rail transport within the CIS whose
these categories are probably more important for
members suddenly became international trading
trade along Russia's Arctic coastline than elsewhere
partners.
in the country. It can be seen in Figure 8 that the
Although highways and railroads move by far
17
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